more on more on Should Municipalities Get in the Wi-Fi Business? (4IP)

[David Farber <dave () farber net>]

------ Forwarded Message
From: <jonathan () pobox com>
Date: Thu, 21 Apr 2005 09:04:32 -0400
To: <dave () farber net>
Subject: Re: [IP] more on Should Municipalities Get in the Wi-Fi Business?
(4IP)


owner-ip () v2 listbox com wrote on 04/21/2005 08:52:53 AM:

> People rely upon cities for drinking water in spite
> of the availability of bottled water and nobody has
> challenged that line of business for cities.

I live in Philadelphia and will be one of the victims of
my government's mistaken entry into the broadband
business. 

The answer to Mike O'Dell's question is simple.  The
underlying technology for delivering water has not
changed much in the last 100 years.  Water mains, once
buried in the street, don't have to be dug up or upgraded
every 2-5 years like information technology infrastructure.

Imagine the Internet being run by the Post Office and the
TSA with both fighting over who is in charge.  That's what
we're going to have in Philadelphia under a best case
scenario if Philadelphia gets into the wireless business.
Under a worst case scenario, it's going to be run like some
third world cronyism parking lot with poor service and an
excruciatingly slow rollout, if it ever actually works at
all.  

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